The Osceola times., 1887-06-11


Metamorphosed - A Ghostiy Practical
Joker, Etc, Etc.
The question of ghosts is one which
admits of no middle view. One must
either believe there are or are not
ghosts, And yet but a comparatively
few years back the ghost would have
found many supporters and admirers
even among the most intelligent,
while among the commoner class he
was almost universally respected as
well as feared. The delicious thrill of
terror that crept down the spine Of the
youngster as, having spent an evening
in listening to the witch tales of some
venerable grandam, he stole home
ward, his heated fancy turning every
painted post into white-rcbed spec
ter, will never be forgotten by those
who have experienced it. But now,
alas! his ghostship has fed before the
onward march of civilization; or, if in
deed he do remain. he is but tame,
spiritlcss, and altogether uninteresting
ghost, an unfit descendant of his ghast-
ly and terrible ancestor, the ghost of
the past.
"Speaking of ghosts" said an old
resident of Chicago the other evening,
1.-THE ghosts nowadays amt worth no.
ticing. l tell you, boys, you ought to
have been in Chicago thirty or forty
years ago. Why, the city was full Of
'em then-first-class ones, too. None
of your cowardly, sneaking ghosts that
90 round rapping on tables and don't
dare show themselves, but regular
Observation-Disclosures ghosts that would
make your hair stand on end and just
scare the life out of you. Every street
had its own particular spook. and if he
were caught off from his beat the po-
lice were sent out to fetch him in.
There's NO use in talking, there amt a
decent respectable ghost in Chicago
to-day"
One Of the earliest and. at one time,
best-known ghosts to visit Chicago had
Its haunt on the prairie adjoining what
was then the northwestern portion of
the city. II is more than forty years
since this restless spirit vanished for
ever from earthly scenes, and it is
doubtful il there are more than dozen
people now living in the city who will
remember the somewhat eccentric
career of this remarkable "spook."
Instead of choosing the appropriate
midnight hour, when churchyards are
properly supposed to yawn, for its air.
ing on upper earth, this ghost chose
the early evening for its rambles, and
was usually visible on moonlt even
ings, shortly after nightfall, when it
would glide through the atmosphere,
Its single garment of somewhat
yellowish-whitc trailing just above
the tops of the prairie grass
doubtless correctly believing that
At would find more admirers at
that time than at the later hour
when all honest people are supposed to
be in bed. The figure was that of a
woman with straggly hair of ebon hue,
both arms stretched before her, rs if in
the vain attempt to grasp a situation or
something else that had been lost. She
was the terror of the vicinity, but she
had one excellent quality--she kept
the unruly children in the house, when
parental discipline had failed to pro-
duce the same effect. Her age, nation
ality, and former condition were never
discovered, for there were none bold
or disrespectful enough to intrude on
her privacy with impertinent questions.
But at last she was missed from her
accustomed haunts and seen no more.
II is presumed that she had found what
she was looking for and gone to bed to
sleep the long sleep of peace.
The West Indiana street ghost, equal
ly as eccentric but in different way,
fulfilled its mission on earth few
years later. 1t confined its presence to
one house. long since pulled down to
make way for more costly ediiices. A
very respectable family occupied this
house, and had occupied it undisturbed
for some time. The locality was not
thickly settled and consequently was
quiet and peaceable. So far as was
known no crime had ever been commit
ted there and there was no earthly rea-
son for any unearthly visitations. But
one morning il was discovered that
every door on the lower floor OF the
house, though all had certainly been
closed at night, was wide open. A thor
ough search revealed that nothing had
been stolen, so the theory of burglars
had to be abandoned. The same thing
occurred the next night and the family
began to feel uneasy. The third night
portion of the older members of the
household remained awake TO investi-
gate. Toward midnight the soft, creak-
ing noise Of a door being slowly opened
was heard, followed by violent bang
as it was suddenly shut The same
thing followed in quick succession as
TO three other doors, and then all was
still.
The rapidity with which this was
done was such that befers the head Of
Tie house could recovsr from bis aston
ishneut md ~ down the staiss To
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